IIT Bombay Standoff Deepens After Student Death
Protesters seek probe, reforms after 22-year-old Sahil Wakode’s death; institute weighs 18-point demands
- IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, 22, was found dead in his hostel room on Friday.
- Protesters have alleged institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination.
- Director Shirish Kedar signed a document listing 18 demands raised by students.
- Faculty members defended the examination invigilator and cited institutional procedure.
GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 21st Sept: The IIT Bombay administration and protesting students appeared headed for a standoff over the death of 22-year-old BTech student Sahil Ravindra Wakode, even as hopes of a resolution emerged after institute Director Shirish Kedar signed a document containing 18 demands raised by protesters.
Wakode, a second-year BTech student from Maharashtra’s Yavatmal, was found dead in his hostel room on the IIT Bombay campus on Friday. The incident occurred hours after he was allegedly found using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.
The incident has led to sharply differing claims over the circumstances surrounding the student’s death. Protesters and Wakode’s family have alleged institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination. His parents have also filed a complaint under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
The protesting students have demanded, among other measures, an independent investigation into four cases of deaths by suicide on the campus, greater student representation in academic committees and mental-health workshops for faculty members.
The IIT Bombay administration held a late-night meeting with protesters on Sunday to discuss their demands. A formal announcement on the institute’s response is expected.
Despite the meeting, protesters have announced plans to gather at the IIT Bombay main gate under the banner of ‘India Against Casteism’. Their stated slogan is, “We are not here to die.”
Meanwhile, the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum has expressed solidarity with examination invigilator Suryanarayana Doolla, saying he followed prescribed institutional procedures after allegedly finding Wakode in unauthorised possession and use of a smartphone during the examination.
The forum said the professor was carrying out his academic responsibilities and expressed concern over statements directed at him following the student’s death. It also conveyed condolences to Wakode’s family.
The developments have put pressure on the institute to address the protesters’ demands while the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death remain the subject of competing allegations and calls for an independent inquiry.
